Alabama Murder-Suicide Case Includes Suspect Visit to Wind Creek Wetumpka Casino

Lance Shaner allegedly shot and killed his father before driving to a tribal casino and later taking his own life. Authorities responded to a 911 call from the son and found both men dead from gunshot wounds on the same property. The Elmore County Sheriff's Office described the deaths as an apparent murder-suicide following several prior disputes between the pair.

Sequence of Events

The fatal shooting of Bill Shaner, 81, occurred between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Thursday, November 5. Lance Shaner, 27, did not call for help right away. Instead he drove roughly 20 minutes to Wind Creek Wetumpka, a tribal casino owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. It was not immediately clear what the visit was about.

Lance Shaner returned to the family residence on Tower Hill Road in the Seman community. He contacted emergency services to report the killing and indicated he was thinking of killing himself. Deputies from the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office arrived to discover both men dead. Bill Shaner had sustained at least two gunshot wounds, one to the torso, and died from blood loss. Lance Shaner died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound while holding the same gun used in both deaths.

Local Context from Authorities

The two men had multiple disputes in the days before the incident concerning things Lance wanted and where he wanted to go. Authorities have not identified a clear motive. Sheriff Bill Franklin said dispatchers did a good job keeping the caller on the line until the call ended. Franklin also noted that Bill Shaner was a fixture in the local community where he had lived all his life.

According to reporting by GamblingNews, Franklin used the investigation to highlight the volume of domestic violence cases in the county. Local authorities make between 300 and 500 related arrests annually. The case remains under investigation.